“Will,” I say, reaching the camellias. I press my hand against my chest, trying to catch my breath. Deep pinks and oranges stain the sky.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEDEKdhz5U
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVPoutav1V
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUP8M4TqDT
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLUILO6Mu8
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0h3CQVRi9
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPg5CFYxEG
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilHP9LyTx8
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA937u4g5yh
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDiJe90ZTn
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZv8by0TLYK
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8oJN3t2QaF
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhlSU6dPWI
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8NlsZruP1
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuAxJNldEt
“Cami.”626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7eriz3rhgN
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPRfy4effY
My head snaps up. Roanna stands there, her giant curls wilder than usual. Her specs reflect the sunset, so I can’t see her eyes.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hEZd7VkqI
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrr7EsLmaJS
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyg3H5gayMq
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4MzVCFrul
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhx0Z91C663
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUi9RnCVZye
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvWuq7lMMi
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6h8qRpd1Z
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt12esl9WtD
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcWauwj10y
All three of us look up. It’s Will, but it looks like I’m seeing him through a frosted window. I release Roanna and take three big steps forward so I’m directly in from of him. I hesitantly reach a hand out, almost expecting it to go through him.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNit19igy5o
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rtuS8U0kU
“Cami! No!” Madame Pommier says sharply. “If you touch him with this closing in progress, we have no idea what it could do. You could be pulled into his time.”626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneqIuOTcMS
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQHMFsLq6O
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlNX5VEHL3
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk897NCUNGs
Her gaze is off to the side. I follow her gaze and see a pretty, young nurse standing there, faint and transparent like Will is. She watches us with wide eyes.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjs02AAT9m
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmO6au4cMuG
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQAoCPLY8u
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XsclHxzfm
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDkDs74035
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcNdSrg0ir
There’s a finality to her gaze that terrifies me, but the sun is going down quickly, and there’s very little chance to think about it.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDsgyOeQeX
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XKe6AMGmO
“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9wdiiCc5m
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2M2q2DnRY
She shakes her head and walks over to the nurse, holding a hand up. Turning her head to face Will, she says, “Just do it. Touch her.”626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyMk8drG4C
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskg5XmYNpX
“Stop it. I can’t allow you to do this,” Madame Pommier says. But she seems unable to move out of the circle she’s made in the dirt.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6pJgALtOv
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7rT2pzlZH
Will’s hand closes around mine, and the image of him begins to sharpen at the same time as Roanna’s image begins to dim and frost over. She smiles at me. Her hand is locked with the nurse’s.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGC7leoKnfU
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazBXNOiwCy
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlANBzLq5QY
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJnQoABL0b
I want to reach out toward her, but Will anchors me in place. He pulls me closer to his body—which is warmer than it’s ever been before—and watches her. Through him, I can see he recognizes within Roanna the longing to be elsewhere and how it feels to belong somewhere other than where you are.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhEkOTcu4g
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCco8F9tmOU
“It’s a psychiatric hospital,” I tell her, even though it’s already too late. “You don’t want to go there. You don’t want to be a patient.”626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdj9QGJRTCT
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4UzpgqQGi
“A patient?” Now I hear the smile in her words. “I intend to be a doctor. Cami, there’s one more thing you need to do.”626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fYTCzTWdy
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJ9ePt4kRQ
And somehow, I know what it is.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDOK7ziOZt
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKDiqj0VjB
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrHGRewLoN
626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Xf34KMXIp
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.626Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJq38YcUfne
Penana
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